Preparation work to establish an active travel link in the Raigmore area of Inverness is set to begin on 19th April 2021.
As part of the Inverness City Active Travel Network (ICATN), the Raigmore Active Travel Link will consist of a link to encourage walking, wheeling and cycling from the Raigmore Estate and existing Golden Bridge to the Raigmore Interchange.
The route will allow access to Inverness Shopping Park and onto Culloden from the Raigmore Interchange via Inverness Campus, removing the need for those walking, wheeling or cycling to cross busy roads.
Future ICATN schemes will see active travel provision improved along Millburn Road and Raigmore Interchange itself to ensure good connectivity to the City Centre and East of the city.
The new link will consist of a ‘Z’ type layout to provide a gentler incline and will be four metres wide to allow easy access to pedestrians, cyclists, wheelers and mobility scooters.
The active travel link will be supported by sheet piles, which will be clad in Ekki hardwood, like that used at the adjacent Inverness Campus.
The scheme also includes a guardrail, a continuous handrail, path lighting, signage and seating, and a significant landscaping scheme which will see more than 4,000 shrubs and 465 trees of various sizes planted in the woodland and on embankment slopes.
The existing stepped route to Raigmore Estate from the Interchange will remain and will tie into the new scheme.
From 19th April, contractor Pat Munro will begin preparation work to ready the site for development, which will begin on 3rd May 2021.
Works are due to be completed in September 2021 and regular communication will be held with local residents to reduce disruption.
A website has been established to provide regular updates on the works at www.raigmoreactivetravellink.co.uk.
Sjoerd Tel, Infrastructure Coordinator at Sustrans, which is a partner in delivering the project, said:
“This work will have a real positive impact for people looking to travel between the Campus, Raigmore Estate and the City Centre.
“The benefits will particularly come to show when improvements planned for Raigmore Interchange and Millburn Corridor are also implemented in the near future.”
Mark Smith, Contracts Manager at Pat Munro, said:
“The Raigmore Active Travel Link is a great project that will really enhance the look of the area while providing a safe route for walking, wheeling and cycling.
“We aim to complete this project with minimum disruption to residents and will keep the local community informed throughout each stage of the works.”
To see updates on the Raigmore Active Travel Link works and to sign-up for email updates click here.
A Community Council meeting is scheduled to take place via Zoom on 28th April 2021 at 7pm.
Open to all Raigmore residents, those wishing to join the meeting are encouraged to visit the website for details of how to join.
